Ex-Gay Watch

Held on the 20th of November every year, this day is set to commemorate transgenders who have been killed due to discrimination, prejudice and hatred towards the community. It is also to raise awareness and act against the violence, brutality and murder of gender variant or non-gender conforming individuals within the LGBT community worldwide.

Every year, scores of transgenders have been murdered in dehumanizing ways, as the hatred against gender variant or non-gender conforming individuals is on the rise. The countless deaths are from all walks of life; activists, school children, sex workers, civil servants and even mainstream executives. Even those perceived to be transgenders are not spared. Most of the murderers get off lightly, resulting in further stigmatization that transgenders somehow “deserves it”. This is also a day to take action against transphobia.

Situation in Malaysia

In Malaysia, battered transgenders and friends of those who died are often too afraid to speak out because of death threats and police mockery, while Islamic fundamentalists still demonize and portray transgenders falsely as deviants. Many of the murder victims are often insultingly mis-gendered and referred to with the wrong pronouns when their deaths are reported in the newspapers. And many deaths go unreported because of media bias.

The Transgender Day Of Remembrance (Malaysia) is an event organized by the Malaysian TransAdvocacy Coalition, and funded by two key individuals. It was originally scheduled to be at the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre For Women (ARROW), but due to an administration officer’s scheduling conflict, the event was moved to PT Foundation Transsexual Drop-In-Centre (DIC) a day before the event.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is one of the 144 cities from 21 countries to hold the eleventh Transgender Day Of Remembrance this year. It also marks the second time this event is held in Malaysia, and the first in which the Malay Language was used. This year, Malaysia has three recorded deaths, and they are among the 162 deaths recorded worldwide. The issue of transphobia and ways to reduce a hostile climate towards trans people were discussed. A candlelight vigil was held at the end of the sessions.

TDOR in Malaysia

On Friday 20th of November 2009, around 20 participants were present by 7.50pm. Most of them are regulars at the PT Transsexual DIC. The host began the night by explaining the function of the Malaysian TransAdvocacy Coalition and its goal to sensitize schools to the presence of transgenders, to build a database of organizations that do not discriminate against transgenders so that jobs can be offered, narrowing down transgender friendly health care providers and clinics to assist transgenders, and providing possible places for transgenders to rent and stay without prejudice and discrimination.

Then the subject of transphobia was tackled. The members of the floor were asked about the causes of transphobia and a few of the more outspoken ones gave valid answers. Then an open discussion ensued on how to tackle the causes of transphobia, resulting in a truly educational experience for not only the participants, but also the host of the event. Some of the suggestions including stopping sticking to a transgender clique and hanging around the fringes of society, and instead coming out to meet and mix with the people around them. It is also agreed that the negative attitudes of most transgenders also needs to change, to avoid being stereotyped wholly as sex workers or unreliable people.

Then we headed on to the candlelight vigil, where names were called out and candles were lit for those who have died this year, and we reserved four tall candles for the four who died in Malaysia (three reported, one not reported). Unfortunately after reading about the fortieth name, most of the transgenders were getting restless and I was asked by the Transsexual DIC Programme Manager not to finish the list. I then asked everyone to light all the candles at one go to remember our dead, and hope for a better tomorrow for all of us.

Response from the LGBT Community

A request through e-mail was sent to PT’s In House Programme Manager to advertise the event on his regular Yahoo groups. There was no reply from him. Fellow ex-gay survivor Pang Kee Teik was most accommodating; he sent out messages to all the member of the Sexualiti Merdeka Facebook Group. However, no one from the group showed up. The Malaysian Human Rights Council and Joint Action Group For Gender Equality (JAG) were also notified via e-mail. There was no e-mail reply, and no representatives from either group. This may be a sign that most gays and lesbians, or even those working on sexuality and human rights, still do not regard trans violence something worth their time or importance, even though those perceived to be transgender have same risks of violence in Malaysia.

Most of the participants this year felt bored and have a nonchalant attitude towards the event. When the names of the dead were read out, instead of mourning, most of them were already chatting away and some did not even light one candle. Valuable materials that were printed out for them were a waste as most did not read them, probably because they do not know the English language, and for some they simply did not care. It is also saddening that most of the names from the memorial list failed to be read out, because they stopped paying attention to the candlelight vigil. This shows total lack of respect for the dead, and in this case ironically it is their own, and it could happen to them. It is my deepest regret I cannot finish the list, and that they do not consider their dead important.

A few prominent trans individuals were also invited to the event, and they too did not show up. This smacks of irony, as one of the prominent figures that funded the event was a trans woman from Singapore. It comes as a surprise to me that an individual from across the causeway would care about the transgender community in Malaysia, more than the Malaysian trans people themselves. This, in my opinion, marks the spirit of surrender by most of the transgender community especially among the Malays; their complacency, as most of them were negative in their attitude, and do not even care about tomorrow.

In conclusion

I was however, encouraged by some positive signs. Several trans people, while most were preparing to go back, continue lighting the candles until all of them are lit. Some were seen praying for the souls of their friends. And some do realize the reasons why we remember our dead. It is simply because it could be one of our family members, or our friends, or ourselves. I do believe the list should have been completed. All the names are people who have existed to make all of us visible. They have friends and families, and they were living people. And furthermore, these are victims of prejudice and hate, and this sort of violence can happen to anyone within the LGBT community. They do deserve their due recognition, especially when it is already so difficult to track down more of the deaths that are unreported to the police, or dismissed by the media.

There are lessons to be learnt from conducting a TDOR memorial. The event was not a total failure, for some do get the message. But I find it shocking that in comparison to the TDOR event last year, cisgenders seem to care more about trans people than transgenders themselves. Perhaps there is a dire need now for transgenders to take a hard look in the mirror and ask themselves what they really want out of their lives. To have their existence validated, or be thrown into the abyss where they will not even be remembered by their own. Right now I have made my decision to not let circumstances get me down. But unless they decide to do so too, their stance will affect me, as I will be just a single voice. It is my hope, for TDOR next year, every one, gay or straight, cis or trans, would come together for one simple reason. Hate is evil. The violence and murders must stop.

Randy Thomas has a history of speaking about transgenders without any real knowledge of the subject. So it was only a matter of time until he showed his ignorance and lack of any real knowledge on transgender issues once again. A while ago, he was interviewed on Prime Time America along with Russell Moore, self-styled trans authority who knows almost nothing about the complexities of transgenders. Mr. Thomas was asked to explain some of the factors that can lead people into the “transgendered lifestyle.”

Quote:

Thomas: From the experiences that I had with friends who have dealt with this issue, it could be anything from a complete defensive detachment from their gender identity. There might have been significant trauma or sexual abuse where they just completely rejected their own gender for shame reasons or fear of becoming what their abuser was, maybe a little boy was strongly identifying with women because they were his only role models that exhibited strength and power and intelligence. Maybe he was indoctrinated with mysandry, which is hatred toward men. What we do know about sexuality is that it’s very complex, and there’s always a high combination of factors for why people struggle with what they struggle with.

Mr. Thomas has a propensity toward reusing the tired “sexual abuse” theory, often parroted by Exodus International as a cause of homosexuality, and expands it to include transgenders. But he failed to mention increasing evidence that in most cases transgenderism is caused by biological conditions. And since he accused transgenders last year of ignoring their genetic destiny, evidence of a genetic component to transsexuality has been found, and researchers are confident more will be discovered. With such mounting evidence of the innateness of gender identity, how ridiculous do Mr. Thomas’ claims look?

Quote:

Thomas: For transgendereds, they have to deal with what all of us have to deal with and that is, struggling to find an identity in Christ and Christ alone. With transgendereds, my friends have struggled with what it means to be male, what it means to be female, why God would create gender complimentarity, and how to embrace that gender that they were born with and to thank God for allowing them to experience that as a man or as a woman.

But an identity in Christ has nothing to do with being male or female, and transgenders already embrace the gender they have, man or woman. The only struggle they have is with their sex, and not God. If only Mr. Thomas would take the time to learn the difference between gender and sex. He shows that he is completely oblivious to what transgenders are, when he uses “transgendered,” a word which means people of gender variance, as the name of some sort of a struggle.

Quote:

Thomas: What I see in the church is a complete disconnect with people who struggle with transgendered. It’s always a cultural aspect that we’ve not really consciously adopted into our churches but it’s there. It’s this feeling of I cannot relate to you at all. And the first thing I would say to the church is that’s a lie. If you use to struggle with your identity, or your sexuality, and whatever way, you know what it means to turn to God to explain and to love you into who you truly are. And empower you to steward your life in a way into that honor him and honors everyone around you so if you know what it means to have a saviour. You can relate to this person.

Russell Moore believes a person’s gender identity is something that needs to be repented from. He hopes to impress people with his opinion by re-enforcing masculine and feminine stereotypes . He is also hoping that more transgenders will show up at churches so that they can be “saved,” even though transgenders have done nothing wrong by simply being man or woman.

Quote:

Moore: There are a number of pastors who are dealing with it right now and my only lament is that there are not more pastors dealing with this right now. Because we have large number relatively speaking of transgendered persons in our society. The only reason why more pastors are confronting the issue is that we don’t have more transgendered persons queing up in our churches asking what must I do to be saved. And that is a problem for us. My hope is that more, of these situations will take place as more of persons who are damaged and wounded in various ways come and see a need for Christ.

Instead of letting transgenders who seek God simply have a personal relationship with Christ, Mr. Moore feels there is a need for his students to aid “repentance” by focusing on the external, a person’s identity, with a change of clothes and name. He clings to the myth that a person’s gender can be “damaged” or “wounded”. And when he is asked how pastors should counsel a transgender person who comes to faith in Christ, he says:

Quote:

Moore: What he will need to do is to take the active work of repentance in all the areas that he can change, which is the case for everyone. IF you have someone who is coming to faith in Christ and he is separated from his wife. Then what you are gonna say is that repentance means let’s try to reconcile this marriage. If on the other hand, he is remarried, well now you can’t do that, you can’t go back and do that, so you move to the point where the person is. I do no think that having another reassignment surgery is what I would counsel this man to do. I will instead say to this person, let’s decrease those female hormones in a way that’s medical. safe, let’s start dressing like a man, living like a man, taking back a man’s name, and step by step, this is not going to be an overnight process, but step by step, let’s move towards, living as a man, I think that’s what necessary, not a re-mutilation of his body.

As much as I respect his consistency in believing that divorce and remarrying is wrong, what has “divorce”, an action between one or two parties, got to do with a person’s innate gender identity? Transgender experiences are far more complicated than Mr. Moore’s assertion of “living like a man” or woman. He makes a grave error in judgment when he confuses male and female stereotypes with clothes and how a person should be addressed. He exposes his ignorance when he reduces male and female to stereotypes about clothes and how a person should be addressed. It may be that he really does not know anything about gender, which he insists on calling a “lifestyle”.

All of these misunderstandings and opinions, lacking any basic knowledge, are tiresome for transgenders to hear, as most of us already have to struggle – not with faith or identities as Mr. Moore implied, but with a society that is oblivious to what gender is. And to attempt to turn the church into another place of prejudice and imposition of “change” is demeaning for those who already knew from the start their gender identity and are believers in Christianity.

Randy Thomas and Russell Moore represent transgenders’ greatest violators. Hiding behind the “love” of Christ, they have demonized transgenders in this broadcast by saying repeating tired myths and insisting that our lives should be run as they see fit. Repentance has always meant a 180-degree turn from sin; but simply existing as a being with biologically rooted gender variations, some with intense distress and needing to live out their true gender, hardly constitutes sin. I believe both Mr. Thomas and Mr. Moore seriously need to reevaluate their misguided opinions which continue to reduce transgenderism to nothing but a choice of labels and clothing.

Ex-gay Giuseppe Povia, who hails from Milan, wrote and performed the song “Luca Was Gay” that is currently in the running for the best song award at the yearly Sanremo Music Festival to be held next month in Italy. He claims that two of his friends also converted to heterosexuality and got married after he convinced them to change.

Aurelio Mancuso, president of the gay rights group Arcigay of Italy, promised a “strong, noisy and organized” protest unless the song is removed from the festival. Povia is no stranger to speaking up against gays as mentioned by Mancuso, as he had appeared in the magazine “Panorama” back in 2005, making statements such as:

“people aren’t gay, they become gay on the basis of who they spend time with”

“ had a gay phase, it lasted seven months and then I got over it.”

If this is true, then these statements can hardly relate to most within the community that are comfortable with their sexuality since young. Povia can hardly be considered a gay man (let alone an ex-gay) since he had no prior life or experiences relating to his supposed “homosexual” orientation except for a probable experimentation which lasted barely a year.

In an article published on “Repubblica” (translated), the song Luca Was Gay was highlighted, and seemed to contain strong statements that is deeply rooted to the reparative therapy framework by NARTH that blames the parents for homosexuality, and reconciliation with parents as the ex-gay cure.

However, Arcigay’s protest may not be a solution; it will not go down well with ex-gay groups, who can easily use this example to claim that gays are intolerant of ex-gays, as do groups like PFOX in the United States. In fact, Italian politican Luca Volonte from The Union of Christian and Centre Democrats was quoted as saying the move to force the song’s exclusion is “a clear attempt at discrimination and censorship”. Will this protest be used as a fodder for ex-gay ministries in the future? Time will tell.

A crescendo of voices can be heard at the second floor of a shop lot singing Christian praise and worship songs such as “Lord, I Offer My Life” and “I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever”. Kenny the worship leader, is backed by Paul on keyboards leading a group of people during a worship service in the afternoon. Located near one of Kuala Lumpur’s busiest highways leading to the district of Cheras, the Good Samaritan Fellowship (GSF) have come a long way in Malaysia. The bilingual Chinese-English service is conducted much like any other church in Malaysia. The difference is, this is the first LGBT inclusive church in the country. And the first MCC branch in Asia.

It started back in August 2007 when openly gay Malaysian-born Reverend Ou Yang Wen Feng, pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) based in New York, told the Malaysian media of his plans to set up a church “where everybody felt safe and welcomed”. It was met with protest and opposition from various parties like the Malaysian government and church authorities, and ignited a big debate on homosexuality. It also drew responses from the anti-gay Reverend Allen Tan, along with Pastor Edmund Smith from the ex-gay ministry, Real Love Ministry. Allen Tan attempted to gather protesters at a special MCC service that month, and Edmund Smith used this opportunity to parrot more pseudo-theories about homosexuality and his ministry.

Two months later a Malaysian youth pastor, Joe Pang shared his vision with MCC for starting a new gay-friendly church. That church, the Good Samaritan Fellowship (GSF), started with only 4 members on October 2007, under Pang’s leadership. He then went to MCC, New York (MCCNY) for training at the end of March 2008, and was officially instated as the senior pastor of MCC’s fledging church in Malaysia by Reverend Pat Bumgardner. Reverend Bumgardner also dedicated the GSF as a parish extension of the MCCNY, during the first GSF retreat at Cameron Highlands on the 23rd to the 25th of May, 2008.

Today their membership has grown to 20 regular attendees (including 10 committee members) ranging in age from their 20s to 50s. At times they are joined by some members of another LGBT but predominantly English speaking Christian Group “Credo”. Some members of GSF left, fearing the stigma imposed upon them by the largely Muslim, anti-gay country of Malaysia, but more members are coming in. “This is an all welcoming church. Anyone, regardless whether they are LGBT or straight can join us”, says Pastor Joe Pang, echoing Reverend Ou Yang’s vision of a safe and inclusive church. “But we do screen through new members to avoid complications.” The GSF also receive legal and promotional support from the PT Foundation of Malaysia.

After starting the worship services and care group from a house in June, they had recently leased a shop lot in Kuala Lumpur for two years, where they held the first full worship service on the Sunday 29th of June, 2008. They are currently surviving through donations and offerings. Better things are expected to come as the core church members mature in their walk with God and gain confidence from the affirmation and reconciliation of their identity and sexual orientation with their faith. Kenny, the worship leader shared, “I used to be the worship leader at Hope Church in Malaysia, but felt very uncomfortable. At times I feel if they knew my sexual orientation, they would not judge me with their mouths but will judge me with their hearts. At least here, I can lead the worship service in comfort, in spirit and in truth”.

GSF held their 1st Anniversary Fund Raising Dinner on Saturday, the 13th of September 2008 at Passion Road Restaurant within the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was attended by almost a hundred guests. May they grow and come of age in peace and love.

A special thanks to Pastor Joe Pang and the GSF members for sharing their stories with us.

Choices Ministry was founded by Sy Rogers during the expansion of Exodus Global Alliance, and started  their reparative therapy program back in 1991 under the wings of Church Of Our Saviour (COOS) in Singapore. The church markets Choices as a way to salvation, a way to avoid the fires of hell. Their obsession with “curing a nation of homosexuality” has led some to label COOS as the most homophobic church in the Asian region. Choices is still closely affiliated with Exodus International through Exodus Asia Pacific.

COOS’s Senior Pastor is Derek Hong, while Choices’ most vocal proponent is ex-gay Shawn Tay Liam Yaw. Gerald Tsai is the director of Choices. COOS and Choices enthusiastically spread misinformation about what they consider the basics of homosexuality. However, to date neither the church nor the ministry have produced any reliable evidence or statistics of successful change in sexual orientation. Instead, controversy occurred at the end of 1999 when ex-gay survivor Patrick Lee shared the story of his turbulent years at COOS and Choices. And in 2003, the latter effectively declared war on gays in what was perhaps the first time the church actively lobbied against gay rights in Singapore.

Last year, discussions were on the way for the repeal of the old British Law Penal Code Section 377 and Section 377A, which deemed “carnal intercourse,” including anal and oral sex, illegal for Singaporeans. In April 2007, a hate e-mail was found circulating among the churches and other groups in Singapore in an attempt to gain support to lobby the government against the removal of the Section 377A (the homosexual counterpart to 377).

Subsequently, Section 377 was repealed and heterosexual anal and oral sex is now legal. Unfortunately, Section 377A was maintained, keeping the same for homosexuals illegal in what most quarters agree is a blatant act of discrimination. Hong’s involvement is still hidden behind church doors, except for a position statement released at their website. Read more…

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, is a central figure in the opposition to same-sex marriages and homosexuals serving in the church. As such, he is also firmly against the appointment of openly gay Gene Robinson as the Bishop of New Hampshire. Earlier this year he attempted to rally support against homosexuality in a rift that threatens to split the church.

Curiously, Dr. Jensen is also consistent in rejecting the appointment of female bishops.

Archbishop Jensen has also argued strongly against the possibility of women bishops for the Anglican Church of Australia.

Holder of the Licentiate in Theology and Bachelor of Divinity, Dr. Jensen failed to answer direct questions regarding several passages of scripture that (most would agree) no longer apply in today’s culture and compare those to similar passages about homosexuality.  The interview, conducted by CNNNN, demonstrates at what point Dr. Jensen becomes rather less consistent.

He should, however, be credited for not quite entering the Nicolosi “Grey Zone” with his response.

Recently the American Psychiatric Association (APA) announced their new panel for the revision of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Named as chairperson of the work group for “Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders (GID)” is Dr. Kenneth Zucker, known for his reparative therapy work on transgender children with Dr. Susan Bradley.  Additionally we have Ray Blanchard, who famously renamed “transvestism” to “transvestic fetishism,” a term that is based on sexual fantasies in the DSM-IV (1994).  There are other changes made by both Blanchard and Zucker. Mr. Blanchard is also the creator of the term “autogynephilia.” For the sake of brevity, I will concentrate on Dr. Zucker’s ideologies and the potential negative influence on DSM-V.

Dr. Zucker explains for NARTH How Should Clinicians Deal With GID In Children.

Dr. Zucker admits that there are complex social and ethical issues surrounding the politics of sex and gender in postmodern Western culture. He note that the “most acute ethical issue may concern the relation between GID and a later homosexual sexual orientation. Follow-up studies of boys who have GID that largely is untreated, indicated that homosexuality is the most common long-term psychosexual outcome.”Dr. Zucker says that clinicians have an ethical obligation to inform parents of the relationship between GID and homosexuality. Clinical experience suggests that psychosexual treatments are effective in reducing gender dysphoria and that individual counseling and parental counseling are both effective methods of treating GID.

Mentioned in NARTH’s “Gender Identity Disorders In Childhood And Adolescence: A Critical Inquiry And Review Of The Kenneth Zucker Research by the NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee (March 2007).”

Developmental Course and Outcome: Regarding psychosexual differentiation [the persistence and desistance of GID], three outcomes have been identified: (1) persistence of GID with a co-occurring homosexual sexual orientation; (2) desistance of GID, with a co-occurring homosexual sexual orientation; and (3) desistance of GID, with a co-occurring homosexual sexual orientation. Outcome (2) has been the most common among boys- with girls not well studied. From a developmental perspective this suggests that gender identity, at least among children with GID, is malleable and likely influenced by psychosocial experiences, such as therapeutic interventions.He points out that it is legitimate for parents to establish limits for their children on cross-gender behaviors. If not, the behavior is, in effect, being reinforced.

Children and adolescents who are resistant to psychosexual treatment may be candidates for early hormonal treatment but only after all other options have been exhausted. The clinician may consider two options: management of the condition until the child is 18 and can be referred to an adult clinic or the early institution of sex hormones.

Dr. Zucker has long insisted that GID is nothing but a child’s cross-dressing play created by psychological fantasies that need to be eradicated by removal of Barbie dolls (as explained by J. Michael Bailey).  This assertion punishes gender-variant children who may be diagnosed by gender specialists as valid GID cases, and causes them to be misunderstood by parents and friends.  This is made worse when Dr. Zucker constantly addresses GID children by the wrong pronouns and reinforces the weight of society’s expectations concerning maleness and femaleness in their lives. Lynn Conway explains the modus operandi of Dr. Zucker with his close colleague and often key defender of his theories, Mr. Bailey. Read more…

Parents And Friends Of Ex-Gays And Gays (PFOX) recently published an article by an unknown Erica Heny* about Gender Identity Disorder (GID) from an African-American perspective. The article “The Emperor’s New Gender” likens people living with GID to the foolish emperor in the well-known Hans Christian Andersen tale. Ms. Heny goes on to compare trans folk with African-Americans wishing their skin was white to avoid prejudice and slavery.

Assuming a gender identity that is in contradiction to one’s biological reality begs a suspension of disbelief, like that required when watching a theatrical production. People with gender identity disorder believe – and expect everyone else to believe – a fairy-tale that simply isn’t true.

Unfortunately, this is not about a fairy tale. Ms. Heny seems unaware of research conducted over the last decade to suggest that GID is an inborn condition which defines MtFs as females and FtMs as males. She states that people with GID are delusional, but let’s take a look at the psychological evidence.

Male to Female’s have female neuron numbers, Female to Males have male neuron numbers (PDF):

The number of SOM neurons in the BSTc of the transwomen [MtF] was similar to the other women (P=0.83). In contrast, the neuron number of a transmen [FtM] was found to be in the male range. Read more…

From the American Psychological Association (APA) on the differences between sex and gender:

Sex refers to biological status as male or female. It includes physical attributes such as sex chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, internal reproductive structures, and external genitalia.

Gender is a term that is often used to refer to ways that people act, interact, or feel about themselves, which are associated with boys/men and girls/women.

Randy Thomas, who apparently does not understand the differences between sexual identity and gender identity, mentioned in a recent interview with CitizenLink:

These activists are preaching this very strict worldview that there is no gender, and people are left confused. It’s no wonder that they come up with all kinds of ways to identify. [emphasis added]

The gender identifier of a transgender is still very much male or female. Transgenders are in no way confused about their sexual or gender identity. In the beginning of the article, the associate editor of CitizenLink, Devon Williams, cited the APA with a misleading definition of transgender:

According to the American Psychological Association, “transgender” is a term used to describe people whose self-perception differs from their biological gender. This condition is commonly referred to as gender identity disorder.

However, in their FAQ about transgenders, the APA clears up the misconception. CitizenLink failed to cite the views of other medical and health professionals. Although they quoted the APA, CitizenLink totally misinterpreted their research which uses “transgender” as the “umbrella term” for different kinds of variant gender groups. Gender Identity Disorder (GID) is already known scientifically as a unique subset. Read more…

Exodus president Alan Chambers heralded that organization’s “countercultural revolution” at LifeSiteNews.com, echoing a previous claim of dramatic increase in first-time attendees during the Exodus International Annual Freedom Conference 2007 in Los Angeles (50%) and the Exodus’ Regional Freedom Conference in Nashville, Tennessee (60%).

People are hungry for a hopeful message about homosexuality that encompasses God’s truth as well as His compassionate heart. We are thrilled to be a small part of what God is doing to reach a new generation with His liberating truth.

The identities of the first-timers (and the regular participants) who are hungry for the ex-gay doctrines presented at these conferences are never mentioned.

From the Exodus website:

Each year, over 1,000 men, women, youth, pastors, therapists, spouses, parents and other interested persons come together for a unique gathering of instruction and celebration.”

So where are the homosexuals?